On 11/01/2013 expresso wrote:>Hi - I'm coming over to Victoria soon and wondered if I could still buy>RPs anywhere still >>thanks

The availability of RP's can be variable, and not many suppliers stock them.

Rock Hardware, who sponsor this site, seem to only have a few size 5 left... though it could be worth sending them an email about it, as by all accounts I have heard, Steve goes the extra mile to keep customers happy.

You could also be lucky and score a set in the 'for sale' section of Chockstone if someone offloads in the near future, but they are popular and whenever they come up second hand they don't seem to remain 'for sale' long!

Opinions vary* as to the usefulness of them, and although handy, they are not 'essential gear' for many easier/moderate classics at Arapiles, and besides, your likely climbing partner/s out here may already have a set.(* Get ready for the ensuing debate to be rehashed again in this thread! Heh, heh, heh).

I haven't been in a large city climbing shop for a while now, so others would be better informed as to which stores may have them in stock.

cheers for that - I was about to buy some DMM offsets and thought it'd be worth checking if RPs were still around locally, and fortunately you reminded me that moderate climbs don't generally require much in the way of micro wires! saves me spending money decorating my harness - and if I do end up climbing 20s at Arapiles I'd happily fork out for DMM to ship me some over...

On 11/01/2013 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:>>Rock Hardware, who sponsor this site, seem to only have a few size 5 left...>though it could be worth sending them an email about it, as by all accounts>I have heard, Steve goes the extra mile to keep customers happy.>>...DMM IMP's which are similar,>and probably cheaper in UK?>
I find it pretty lame that an old fart australian climber is demonstrating such a lack of respect towards another old fart australian climber. This isn't some kind of southern cross tat patriotism, I just think that Roland is a really cool dude.

DMM seem like a sweet company, turning out beautiful gear designed and made by craftsmen with funny accents. However, Roland invented micro wires about 40yrs ago and every single RP ever sold was made by his hands in his back shed in Melbourne. No shareholders, no venture capitalists to be paid off, all of the (very reasonable) shelf price is split between the bloke who made the product and the shop you buy from. I feel that DMM should have shown a bit more respect and held off manufacturing a ripoff until Roland ceases production.

Anyway, the mountain shop in Nati is usually very well stocked. I'd encourage everyone who climbs at araps to get at least a couple. When the time comes that they're no longer available, you'll regret not owning a little bit of climbing history.

On 12/01/2013 Eduardo Slabofvic. wrote:>as far as opinions go on RP's, there are those who think they are essential equipment at Arapiles, and those who are wrong.

Assuming you don't mean they are one and the same, you are preaching to the converted ES ☺
(I love them, from long ago, even before I ever went to Arapiles)!

On 12/01/2013 One Day Hero wrote:>I find it pretty lame that an old fart australian climber is demonstrating>such a lack of respect towards another old fart australian climber.

What? Does this mean I have to hand back my four complete sets of RPs, and another approx-complete set of recycled RPs (old broken and rehabilitated aid ones), now?
☺

(snip)

>>DMM seem like a sweet company, turning out beautiful gear designed and>made by craftsmen with funny accents. However, Roland invented micro wires>about 40yrs ago and every single RP ever sold was made by his hands in>his back shed in Melbourne. No shareholders, no venture capitalists to>be paid off, all of the (very reasonable) shelf price is split between>the bloke who made the product and the shop you buy from. I feel that DMM>should have shown a bit more respect and held off manufacturing a ripoff>until Roland ceases production.>
Agreed.

>Anyway, the mountain shop in Nati is usually very well stocked. I'd encourage>everyone who climbs at araps to get at least a couple. When the time comes>that they're no longer available, you'll regret not owning a little bit>of climbing history.>
... or whoever inherits mine will think they have won the history lottery!
Heh, heh, heh.

On 12/01/2013 One Day Hero wrote:. >... SNIP I just think that Roland is a really cool dude.

Agreed, every time I look at Golgotha I think of his handmade goodies. I also think it'd be awesome to have a few RP's big enough to protect the offwidth section;) They might weigh 3/4's of a ton but they'd be cool as....

Iain Sedgman wrote a history of Roland's goodies that appeared in the May 2001 issue of Argus. The RPs that most people are familiar with are the later examples of his work. He also made crackers, bong bongs, bolt plates and tube chocks. The first photo shows some of the different sizes and the different taper during their evolution and the second shows Roland on Christian Crack with some "small" gear hanging off his waist.

Just after Sedgies article and in the same issue of Argus was one from Wade Stevens entitled "From Crackers To Camalots", which described the progress of climbing gear in Australia.

On 18/01/2013 BA wrote:>Some of my Ewbank crackers are on display in that museum. The rest of them>(the useful sizes) are still on my rack ;-)>>>
I hope you have reslung them with new cord since those days...
☺(... and yes, I have upgraded most of my slung stuff with spectra cord).
Heh, heh, heh.

It looks a bit like thin hemp rope Bill ..... and works the same. Again, it's a bit fiddly tying knots and keeping them small enough, but you'd manage.
Maybe practise a bit on your nuts!
Better yet it comes in a wider range of colours than hemp rope.

BA, your Ewbank Crackers spend a quiet retirement here in Corsica. Thank you again for parting with such invaluable pieces of Australian climbing gear history! Some time after that you sent them to me, Steve Arsenault enhanced the Nuts Museum with 3 rare Crackers on wire sling, #A, #B and #C, made in 1968. These little wonders are made of steel.
With best wishes from Corsica.
Stephane / Nuts Museum